Who are the Indigenous peoples of Canada?
This recognition of First Nations as distinct and autonomous nations is not well understood by many people living in Canada today. Anthropologists John McMillan and Eldon Yellowhorn (2005) write that:
“Canada’s common culture is built on the idea of two founding nations (English and French), and government support for two official languages entrenches that idea. It does not mention the country’s original inhabitants except in such commonly used phrases as ‘Canada’s Aboriginal People’ or ‘Canada’s First Nations’, which describe this relationship in possessive terms.” (p.318).
However, Indigenous peoples lived in these territories long before Canada existed. These diverse peoples had complex economic, political, social, and cultural systems. For example, the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) Confederacy, outlined a form of government and society based on values of peace, power and righteousness.
At the link below, you can visit a map of Indigenous communities in Canada. It shows the locations of 212 Bands, each identified in its own Indigenous language. The map was made by Aaron Carapella, who is a Cherokee from Oklahoma. This is not his first mapping project -- he also created a tribal map of the U.S. Starting the project at age 19, he spent 14 years on and off working on this project.
To make the map of Canada, Aaron relied heavily on telephone conversations with people from the different First Nations. He also drew on materials from cultural centres, Indigenous museums, web sites, and military and missionary reports. He made sure to always verify information with someone living in the community before confirming it on the map.
McMillan, J. & Yellowhorn, E. (2004). “Aboriginal People in Canada’s First
Century” (pp.318-322) in First Peoples in Canada. Vancouver and Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre.
This recognition of First Nations as distinct and autonomous nations is not well understood by many people living in Canada today. Anthropologists John McMillan and Eldon Yellowhorn (2005) write that:
“Canada’s common culture is built on the idea of two founding nations (English and French), and government support for two official languages entrenches that idea. It does not mention the country’s original inhabitants except in such commonly used phrases as ‘Canada’s Aboriginal People’ or ‘Canada’s First Nations’, which describe this relationship in possessive terms.” (p.318).
However, Indigenous peoples lived in these territories long before Canada existed. These diverse peoples had complex economic, political, social, and cultural systems. For example, the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) Confederacy, outlined a form of government and society based on values of peace, power and righteousness.
At the link below, you can visit a map of Indigenous communities in Canada. It shows the locations of 212 Bands, each identified in its own Indigenous language. The map was made by Aaron Carapella, who is a Cherokee from Oklahoma. This is not his first mapping project -- he also created a tribal map of the U.S. Starting the project at age 19, he spent 14 years on and off working on this project.
To make the map of Canada, Aaron relied heavily on telephone conversations with people from the different First Nations. He also drew on materials from cultural centres, Indigenous museums, web sites, and military and missionary reports. He made sure to always verify information with someone living in the community before confirming it on the map.
Visit: Map of First Nations before settlers arrive
McMillan, J. & Yellowhorn, E. (2004). “Aboriginal People in Canada’s First
Century” (pp.318-322) in First Peoples in Canada. Vancouver and Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre.
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